How far would you go to look after your health?

Some people I know love to take their pulse when they exercise. They love to measure it against itself week after week until they know what their level of fitness is and are satisfied in their health. Some people constantly wear heart rate monitors, some others weight themselves constantly. Then there’s some that are always at the doctor having tests run and re-run just to be sure of exactly where their health sits.

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But how far would we happily go to look after our health?

Right now, there are incredible developments happening all over the world in health maintenance and monitoring. Sensoria has developed a range of smart clothing including sports bras and sports T-shirts that monitor heart rate. Then there’s incredible developments in technology that are so close to seeing people walk around with microchips implanted in their bodies to determine their risk of stroke, heart attack and other illnesses.

But how far are we willing to go to keep an eye on our health? It’s one thing to wear a garment designed for health, style is something that we can all afford to lose if it means longevity. But what about having invasive surgery? What about living with a piece of technology implanted in your body?

Is it actually worth it? Our parents grew up in an era where lifestyle was the biggest determiner of our health. We’d be able to walk down the street or catch up with family and would know how healthy they were. There were obvious factors that contributed to whether a person was really healthy or not – Do you smoke? Do you drink? Are you obese? Do you eat a healthy diet? Do you exercise?

So have we got too carried away with the power of science and technology and are we trying too hard to pursue longevity when we’re just living unhealthy lives? Of course genetics plays a significant part, but theres the things we can’t control and the things we can. Are we going too far against nature in investing in our health in the ways that make it more difficult, more expensive and more unnatural to track?

Share your thoughts today… Do you buy into the science of living for longer? Or do you think a lot of it comes down to common sense?